Dental therapists aim to fill in oral health shortfalls

6:10 PM,
May 12, 2014

A few states are trying to alleviate their oral health care shortages by allowing the licensing of dental therapists ? a fairly new class of dental care providers, essentially dentistry's version of physicians' assistants. They face strong resistance from dentists.

Written by

Alicia McElhaney
USA Today

A few states are trying to alleviate their oral health care shortages by allowing the licensing of dental therapists - a fairly new class of dental care providers, essentially dentistry's version of physicians' assistants. They face strong resistance from dentists.

In the handful of states where they are legally approved, dental therapists - who generally get two years of intensive training before going out into the field - can provide services ranging from cleanings to extractions to pediatric stainless steel crowns, says Mary Williard, director of the Alaska Native Tribal ...